Brown Recluse Sings, Black Sunday

reviewed by dave heaton

On their debut EP, this Philly-based group (with connections to other local groups like Brrr and the now-gone The Harbor Lights) goes for a laidback, tune-centered approach to '60s-ish orchestral pop and starry-eyed, pastoral folk-ish pop. Think of Belle and Sebastian and their predecessors (Zombies, Left Banke) but also more recent cute-pop DIY songcraft. Guitars chime, tambourines shake, trumpet blasts out with hope, and a singer with sadness in his voice, but also a striving for happiness, sings of lost love and shattered dreams. The title track's a luxurious instrumental: melancholy, but sunnier than "black" suggests. The word "Sunday" feels right, though, for the carefree demeanor of this whole affair. Carefree, but not careless; each instrument seems precisely arranged. Perhaps best is "Margo, Left in Bed"; best for matching the yearning in the singer's defense of his confusing actions with an elegant, ray-of-hope melody and a brash breaking-down as the song proceeds. Perhaps there's a wild streak within their orderly pop songs, though the most serene moments are just as nice.

{www.myspace.com/brownreclusesings}